Originally Posted by DArtagnan
The smartphone/tablet market is in constant flux

This is true and extremely important - whatever we are discussing now is different than last year and next year.

And honestly, I don't think we disagree as much as you think we do.

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
That's an interesting scenario that's not supported by any experience of mine.

I can only go on my own experience … and as someone who has owned short-lifecycle products (i.e. laptops, PDAs, and now smartphones and tablets) almost exclusively for ages (sold off my last desktop in 1997) I have done more than my fair share of selling devices from pretty much every maker out there. Bottom line - you will get a >50% better return on your investment on an Apple computer than anything else.

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
It has nothing to do with the fact that Apple products are significantly overpriced in terms of the hardware they're using.

My problem is the word 'significant' … as a statistician it means one thing (which I agree with), but in common vernacular it tends to mean 'exorbitant'. That is part of the old and debunked 'I could build a more powerful computer for half the price with all the same components'. Um, no. Apple has the #1 quality rating, #1 service, #1 resale value for a REASON. They spend money on components that others will not.

But as I say, I agree with 'significant'. Why? Well, it is a known fact that Apple has the highest profit margins in the industry. QED.

And honestly, based on my usage - I call the iPad my 90% computer for a reason - I find the value to be tremendous for the price. There are so many ways in which the Android OS is simply 'not ready for tablet prime time' … and my bank account knows how I have tried …

BUT … I will definitely say that Apple has veered into 'significant' over-pricing territory this year in three ways:
- iPod Touch should have been $100 cheaper.
- iPad Mini should have been $249 - 279 for the base unit (but even at $329 it is the best small tablet I've ever touched)
- the $100 memory bump price is just out of control greedy … everyone else moved to $50, heck even $75 would have been better.

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
I'm not sure why you think Android devices lack resale value - but that's not something I've heard about. Where I come from, stuff like Samsung products are very popular and I doubt they have less resale values than iPads or iPhones.

Samsung *phones* since 2011 have been well built and popular, and my Galaxy SIII could get great resale value (as opposed to the S2 which I despised, the S3 is really good - but I also hated the Galaxy Note 2, that went back today). Samsung tablets have sold like garbage, and therefore at resale they get a much lower % of their retail … I mean, why pay the $499 the Galaxy Tab 7.7 wanted when the Nexus 7 is $199?

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
Obviously, if you're biased and you WANT Apple products to somehow not be overpriced despite facts disputing that - you'll find whatever avenue to support that theory.

No, this isn't about bias - I am not saying Apple products are 'better'. These facts are not in dispute: Apple IS the #1 rated brand for quality, service and customer loyalty.

This has a long history of being true, which has led to a history of used Apple computers selling for a greater % of original value than PCs. That is something most reasonable people would not argue.

As for how that translates in the current smartphone/tablet market … as you say the market is volatile and fast-moving, so assessing a fixed opinion is a dangerous thing. All I can go on is that over the past few years I have sold off several Apple products and also several from Motorola, HP/Palm, HTC, Samsung, ASUS, Acer and LG. And in *every* case the 'retained value' of the Apple products was higher. And in most cases … MUCH higher.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Who would be stupid enough to pay $600 for a used, last generation, iPad?

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
My point exactly

This crazy place called 'eBay'. Bless it's insane ability to run up prices and feed my constant gadget churn. In fact, it looks likely that I will get to pay cash for an iPhone (my first ever) to have alongside my Galaxy S3 based on selling a few things from my 'junk drawer'.